With time ebbing away in Saint-Etienne and it becoming increasingly clear that a side without the inclination to try and win the game were facing a side without the imagination to force their hand, there was a glimmer of something better. As Marek Hamsik stood over a Slovakia free-kick near the halfway line, he had a brief glance around, saw nothing on, and attempted to chip England goalkeeper Joe Hart.
Was it worth it? Take your pick—it was either a rare glimpse of flair in a game in which it had run dry, or a Hail Mary forced by a lack of options.